Michigan State University

University of California

Cheryl A Kerfeld

Markus Sutter

Andrew Ronald Hagen

Clement Aussignargues

Cesar R Gonzalez

Nancy B Sloan

Bryan H Ferlez

Krishna K Niyogi

Jonathan K Lassila

Daniel Christopher Ducat

Jan Zarzycki

Eric Jeffrey Young

Patrick M Shih

James N Kinney

Steven C Wilson

The present invention provides for a fusion protein comprising (1) a bacterial microcompartment (BMC) shell protein comprising one or more subunit, and (2) a first component of a specific-binding pair, operably linked to the BMC shell protein such that the first component faces (i) a lumen (inside) side, or (ii) outside of a BMC shell formed incorporating the fusion protein and the fusion protein does not disrupt or prevent the folding of the BMC shell protein or the ability of the BMC shell protein to integrate with other BMC shell proteins into a BMC shell; wherein the first component is capable of forming a stable or irreversible interaction with a second component of the specific-binding pair.

Modified bacterial microcompartment shell protein

Described herein are constructs, compositions and methods for precise in vivo imaging of the structures and dynamics of protein-based scaffolds with and without their designated cargos.

Control of and imaging techniques for protein nanoscaffolds

A fusion chimeric protein is described herein that can assemble a functional carboxysome core, which is able to fix carbon by taking atmospheric carbon dioxide and converting it into useful carbon-containing compounds such as 3-phosphoglycerate (3-PGA).

Minimized cyanobacterial microcompartment for carbon dioxide fixation

To produce a bacterial microcompartment shell, or a designed shell based on naturally occurring bacterial microcompartment shells in a new host organism, a synthetic operon is constructed that contains the desired shell protein genes and translation efficiency is controlled by host specific ribosomal binding sites. Proteins or other molecules can be encapsulated in the microcompartment shells by various methods described herein. The constructs can also be used to express self-assembling sheets comprised of shell proteins.

Methods for producing microcompartments

Modified bacterial microcompartment shell proteins

Described herein are bacterial microcompartments shell proteins modified to stably incorporate iron-sulfur clusters. Such bacterial microcompartments shell proteins exhibit redox cycling and confer electron transfer functionality to bacterial microcompartment shells.

Engineered shell proteins for microcompartment shell electron transfer and catalysis

The present disclosure is related to a BMC fusion protein that is capable of in vitro assembly, comprising a constituent BMC shell protein subunit and a sterically hindering protein domain that is cleavable. The BMC fusion protein is capable of in vitro assembly triggered by removal of the fused sterically hindering domain. The present disclosure is also related to a means to produce BMC shells in vitro, triggered by removal of a fused sterically hindering domain from one or more constituent BMC shell protein subunits. The BMC fusion protein enables encapsulation of broad classes of materials and biophysical studies of shell assembly, encapsulation, and permeability that would otherwise be unavailable from BMCs assembled in vivo.

In vitro assembly of bacterial microcompartments

Methods and compositions to introduce a synthetic pathway based on the 3-hydroxypropionate bicycle into an organism such as the model cyanobacterium,sp. PCC 7942. The heterologously expressed pathway acts as a photorespiratory bypass as well as an additional carbon fixation cycle orthogonal to the endogenous Calvin-Benson cycle. We demonstrate the function of all six introduced enzymes, which not only has implications on increasing net-photosynthetic productivity, but also key enzymes in the pathway are involved in high-value products that are of biotechnological interest, such as 3-hydroxypropionate.

Growing community of inventors

Walnut Creek, CA, United States of America

Cheryl A Kerfeld